Foldable chair



'April 26,1949. I 1.. E. DORSCHNER 2,468,491

FOLDABLE CHAIR Filed Jan. 2'7, 1944 INVENTOR LELAND E.DOF\SCHNER ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 26, 194-9 FOLDABLE CHAIR Leland E. Dorschner, Appleton, Wis., assignor of one-half to Robert L. Herbst, Appleton, Wis.

Application January 27, 1944, Serial No. 519,864

1 Claim.

My invention refers to foldable chairs and has for its object a simple, durable and ornamental chair adapted to be flatly folded when not in use for compactness in storing or shipping.

The specific object of my invention is to provide seat runners with companion edge notches, rearwardly of the bottom panels associated with a back brace, at the lower edge of the runners, whereby, when the chair is unfolded, an upward and backward movement of the back member will cause the back strip to ride along the upper edge of the runners and automatically drop into the notches, with the lower ends of the back member abutting the runner back brace. Thus with a single movement of one hand, the foldable chair may be quickly unfolded and locked in its open position.

The chair may be formed with a solid back and seat or the same may be paneled as illustrated, and, furthermore, while the chair is particularly adapted to be constructed from wooden parts, any suitable substitute therefor may be utilized.

With the above and other minor objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as will be fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a vertical, sectional View of the chair embodying the features of my invention, the section being indicated by line l-| of Fig. 2.

Figure 2 is a front, elevational view of the chair.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, plan, sectional view of the same with parts broken away and in section to more clearly illustrate structural features, the view being indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged, detail, sectional, elevational view of a leg and arm pivot connection, the

view being indicated by line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail, sectional, plan View illustrating the pivot connections between one of the legs and front portion of the seat.

Figure 6 illustrates a vertical view of the chair partly collapsed.

Figure 7 is a similar sectional view of said chair totally collapsed.

Referring by characters to the drawings, l indicates companion seat runners, the rear ends of which serve as leg supports.

The runners have secured thereto a panel seatbottom 2 and the structure is further reinforced by a. transversely disposed front apron 3.

The runners are also provided with back supporting notches 4 and at their front ends a stoprod 5 connects said runners and projects slightly beyond the same as indicated in Figure 5 of the drawings.

Pivoted to the front end of the seat runners by pivot bolts 1 are front legs 6, said legs being reinforced by laterally extended flange portions 6' as best shown in Figures 2 and 5 of the drawings.

The panel back-member A is formed by a series of vertically disposed slats 8 connected by a transversely positioned top strip, an intermediate strip 9 and a bottom strip In which projects beyond the same. It is noted, articularly in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, that the slats 8 extend below the strip I0 and when the chair is in its functioning position, the ends of said slats engage a back brace H which connects the seat runners intermediate of their ends and forms a brace therefor.

The front legs, as noted, project above the seat proper and their upper ends are provided with pivot bolts I 2 which connect the front ends of arms l3, the rear ends of said arms being pivotally connected to the ends of the intermediate slat 9, forming part of the back-member.

Referring particularly to the pivot joint between the legs and arms, as best shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, each arm is provided with a transversely positioned block [4 which is centrally cut away and bored for convenient assemblage of the pivot bolts I2.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent when the chair is extended for use, the backmember is rigidly supported by the slat l0 engaging the notches 4 and also by the arms l3 which are pivotally connected to said back-member and the front legs, which legs are held in their functioning position by engagement with the projecting ends of the rod 5.

When the chair is to be folded, the back is first disengaged from the seat runner notches and it is thereafter swung downwardly upon its pivot connections with the arms and simultaneously the lower part of the front legs are also caused to move rearwardly and totally collapse upon a plane parallel to the lower face of the runners as indicated in Figure 7 of the drawings.

It will be noted that the triangular pocket formed at the front end of the seat serves as a protection for the leg hinge connection, and also that the legs, being angular in cross-section and flat upon their upper edges, serve as a support for the arms, both longitudinally and transversely. Also the block, carried by the arms in pivotal connection with the rear edge of the leg, is protected and concealed, and the pivot bolts are mum 3 flush with the inner edges of the legs. Hence, due to the protection of the pivot connections of the leg, there is no tendency for the garments of the occupant of the chair being caught in said pivots of the arms and legs, since the front panel 3 fully protects the pivot connections against engagements therewith by the legs of the occupant.

While I ha ve described details of construction, pertaining-, to :the pivots and stops; it l-iS 5111111161- stood that I may vary the structural features within the scope of the claim.

I claim:

A knock-down folding chair having flat spaced apart runners, the forward portions of saidrunners supporting a chair seat, saidrunnersbeing notched at their upper edges rearwardly "of the chair seat, a back brace secured-Lto.thelowenedges of the runners forwardly of the notches .thereim.

legs pivoted to the front portion of the runners, arms. pivoted to the upper edges of the legs, and a"ba ck.-member pivoted to the rearends of the arms intermediate *its ends, whereby when "the chair is folded open, -an upward and 'backward movement of the upper part of the back member will cause a transverse strip, rigidly attached to the lower part of the back member, to drop into the runner notches and the lowermost portion of the back member to engage the back brace, the said back is firmly supported.

LELAND E. DOBSCHNER.

REFERENUES CITED .The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEHWTS 

